By Owen Marlow, childcare billing systems analyst with 9 years reviewing provider invoicing and payment workflows
Last reviewed: July 14, 2026
KidKare is childcare and CACFP software, and Parachute is its childcare finance and management tool for invoices, payments, expenses and related provider workflows. This guide is not KidKare and is not affiliated with KidKare. If KidKare Parachute payments are confusing, start with the invoice status, ParaPay setup, payer route, fee setting and settlement report before opening a support ticket.
The common mistake is treating every payment problem as a parent issue. A greyed-out payment screen, unpaid balance, missing settlement or fee complaint may come from provider setup, invoice filters, payment status, automatic payment settings or the way ParaPay has been configured.
What Parachute adds to KidKare
KidKare’s Parachute provider page describes finance tools for creating one-time or recurring invoices, tracking paid invoices, logging additional income, recording business expenses and mileage, and receiving ACH or credit card payments through ParaPay.
That is different from KidKare’s Food Program tasks, even when the same childcare business uses both. Meal counts, claims, eForms and CACFP records answer one kind of question. Invoices, parent payments, expenses and settlement reports answer another.
Do this first: decide whether the issue is Food Program work or business finance. Skip claim troubleshooting when the problem is an unpaid invoice.
Short split. Better route.
The invoice page is the control center
KidKare’s Parachute Invoices article says the Invoices page is where users create and manage invoices sent to parents, guardians and agencies for tuition and other childcare-related fees. It also says all invoices are available there regardless of status, including Paid, Unpaid and Pending.
That means the invoice list is not only for bills waiting to be paid. It is also a tracking area for balances, payment status and invoice history.
KidKare says users can view sent invoices and invoice data from the Invoices section, and the article lists filters such as Date Range, Child, Payer, Autopay, Source, Amount and Status. Status examples include Paid, Partially Paid and Pending.
Prioritize filters before assuming the invoice disappeared. Skip recreating an invoice until you have checked date range, payer, child, source and status.
ParaPay setup changes what families see
KidKare says ParaPay lets payers pay invoices electronically with a credit card or ACH. Once ParaPay is set up, payers can also set up auto-pay, payments are deposited directly into the provider’s bank account, and payments are automatically recorded with corresponding invoices marked paid.
That setup explains a lot of parent-side confusion. If online payments are not enabled, a family may see the invoice but be unable to pay online. If ParaPay is enabled, the payer route can include card, debit card or bank-account payment options.
KidKare’s Guardian Payments article says online invoice payment is only available if the provider has set up online payments through Parachute. It also says greyed-out payment fields mean the provider is not set up to receive online payments at that time.
Provider setup first. Parent device second.
Fees need to be set and explained
KidKare’s ParaPay article lists a $1.00 fee for every online payment. It also says debit and credit card transactions have a 2.95% variable fee in addition to that $1.00 fee, while ACH payments do not require the debit or credit card fee. The same article gives a $100 card-payment example totaling $3.95 in fees.
That is a practical parent-service issue, not just an accounting detail. A family paying by card may ask why the total changed. A provider may need to know whether the payer or provider is responsible for the transaction and processing fees.
KidKare’s Parachute Settings page says settings are found by clicking Settings on the bottom left of the screen, and that users can manage invoice and notification options, display and site settings, ParaPay signup, and who pays transaction and processing fees.
Do not bury fee responsibility. Decide it before sending invoices at scale.
First payouts and later payouts
KidKare’s ParaPay article says the first payout for credit card and ACH payments may take up to 10 business days because its processing partner must complete internal verification, and future payouts should be expected within 2 to 5 business days after that.
That timeline matters when a provider is switching from cash or checks. The invoice may be paid, the record may be marked paid, and the bank deposit may still not be available yet.
Do not call a first payout missing on day three if the account is still inside the initial verification window.
But check the right report. The deposit timeline, invoice status and payment settlement are related, not identical.
Settlement reports are for payment tracking
KidKare’s ePay Settlements report article says the report lists payments made through ParaPay. It includes payment status, invoice number, billed to, payment date, invoice amount and payment amount.
The article says users can open Reports, choose Accounting Reports from the category menu, select EPay Settlements, set filters and run the report. Date range options include Custom, Current Week, Current Month, Current Year, Current Quarter and previous-period choices.
Use this report when the question is payment tracking. Use the invoice page when the question is the invoice itself. Use settings when the question is whether online payments or fees are configured correctly.
A support message should name the report and period. “Payment missing” is weaker than “EPay Settlements report for Current Month does not show invoice 1042.”
New payments do not always close old invoices
KidKare’s Guardian Payments page says payers may be able to send a payment without first receiving an invoice, but only if the provider has turned that capability on. The same article says creating a new payment will not mark a previously generated invoice as paid.
That is a major reconciliation trap.
A parent may send money through the available payment option, then the provider still sees an old invoice as unpaid. The system may not be wrong. The payment may not have been attached to that invoice.
Use the invoice payment route when an invoice already exists. Skip general new-payment options unless you know how the payment will be applied.
Recurring and scheduled invoices need filters
KidKare’s invoice page lists Source filters that can identify whether a payment was user-initiated, recurring, manual or scheduled. It also lists Autopay filters for On, Limit or Off.
Those filters are useful when a family says something was charged automatically or a provider is trying to understand why an invoice was created.
Check source before assuming a duplicate invoice was manually sent. Check autopay before assuming a payer ignored a bill.
For recurring billing, consistency matters. Rate changes, schedule changes, payer changes and child enrollment changes can make an old invoice pattern look wrong even when the invoice engine is following earlier settings.
Expenses and receipts are a separate lane
KidKare’s Parachute provider page says providers can record business expenses and mileage, calculate Time/Space percentage for reporting (for in-home providers), and manage expenses and receipt capture. It also says digital receipt capture can help submit and track CACFP, grant and business expenses, record income and manage finances in one place, with a note that the particular feature is only for centers.
Do not mix receipts with invoice payments. A receipt for an expense, a parent invoice and a ParaPay settlement are different records.
If a provider asks why a payment does not appear in expense reporting, the answer may be that they are looking at the wrong finance lane. Income, expense and settlement reports should be checked separately.
When to contact support
KidKare support material lists support hours as Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST in Parachute Knowledge Hub pages.
Before contacting support, gather the invoice number, payer, child, invoice status, payment method, date range, report name, whether ParaPay is enabled and whether the issue affects one payer or several.
Do not send unnecessary private documents through unofficial pages. Use KidKare’s official support path, Parachute Knowledge Hub or the provider’s established billing channel.
A clean support request might say: provider account, Parachute Invoices page, invoice status Pending, EPay Settlements report date range Current Month, one payer affected, ParaPay enabled.
Quick billing route table
| Issue | Better first check |
|---|---|
| Invoice not found | Invoices filters and date range |
| Payment fields greyed out | ParaPay setup |
| Card fee question | Fee responsibility setting |
| First payout slow | Initial verification window |
| Parent paid wrong way | Invoice payment versus new payment |
| Settlement missing | EPay Settlements report |
| Recurring invoice confusion | Source and Autopay filters |
| Receipt or expense issue | Expense lane, not invoice lane |
The fastest fix usually starts with the record type: invoice, payment, settlement, setting or expense.
Frequently asked questions
What is KidKare Parachute?
Parachute is KidKare’s childcare finance and management tool for providers, with features such as invoices, income tracking, expenses, receipt capture and online payments through ParaPay.
What is ParaPay?
KidKare says ParaPay lets payers pay invoices electronically with a credit card or ACH. Payments can be deposited into the provider’s bank account and automatically recorded, with corresponding invoices marked paid.
Why are payment fields greyed out?
KidKare says payment fields are greyed out when the provider is not set up to receive online payments at that time. The provider should check online payment setup before treating it as a parent account problem.
What fees apply to ParaPay?
KidKare lists a $1.00 fee for every online payment. Debit and credit card payments also have a 2.95% variable fee, while ACH payments do not require that card fee.
How long can the first payout take?
KidKare says the first payout for credit card and ACH payments may take up to 10 business days while the processing partner completes internal verification. Future payouts are expected within 2 to 5 business days after that.
Where is the ePay Settlements report?
KidKare says to open Reports, choose Accounting Reports, select EPay Settlements, set filters and run the report. The report includes payment status, invoice number, billed to, payment date, invoice amount and payment amount.
Why did a payment not mark an invoice paid?
One possible reason is that the payer created a new payment instead of paying the existing invoice. KidKare says creating a new payment will not mark a previously generated invoice as paid.
Should I use invoices or new payments?
Use invoices when a bill already exists and you need the payment attached to that invoice. Use new payments only when the provider has enabled the feature and the payment does not need to close a specific existing invoice.
Start with the finance record, then the route: invoice, ParaPay setup, fee setting, settlement report or expense record.